Dave's Pocket Blog

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Pocketed Yesterday

Posted in Uploads from _uncommon (View Site) by nobody@flickr.com (_uncommon) - 7 days ago

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Where are we going? (Shyftr Comments)

Pocketed Yesterday

Posted in TechCrunch (View Site) by Dan Kimerling - Yesterday

I believe that there are really only two questions: Where have we been and where are we going? Lamentably we all know where we have been, as the events of this week have made themselves self-evident to everyone save except those who are willfully ignorant. And I will be the first to admit that I have no clue where we are going and that is possibly the scariest aspect of the times we live in. Anyone who proclaims to know where we are headed, save for perhaps a belief that there are dark times ahead, might as well be proclaiming that he or she knows what the the new new thing of Web 3.0 will be.

So, what can start-ups do right now? Well Ron Conway, Benchmark Capital, and Sequoia have pretty clear ideas, as do any number of bloggers and pundits. But honestly the two most compelling answers to the question, besides staying informed (and for that I highly recommend the Planet Money Podcast), have come from entrepreneurs who I really respect: Tim O’Reilly and Dave McClure. O’Reilly is right to say to would-be and current entrepreneurs to build stuff that people care about. The reason for doing so is because building things that people care about is one and the same with building stuff that people will pay for. While he never says this explicitly, it sounds like O’Reilly wants to see more start-ups like 37Signals, which has hosted solutions for the enterprise space that are freemium, viral, stable, secure, and most importantly, useful. That makes people want to take out their credit cards and pay every month to use the service. Yammer, for all its faults, has this going for it. This is great advice, as too many people drank too much of the advertising supported model punch and started to believe their own hype that they could build platforms and products with no thought of an offering’s use value and value proposition to the consumer.

Dave McClure, of 500Hats fame and an all around stand-up guy, also wrote a great answer to the question of what start-ups can do in the current situation. His answer is to stare all the collective fear, uncertainty, and anxiousness down, while figuring out a real business model and getting back to work. In a way that only Dave can, he debunks the get rich quick myth that many people who live and work in Silicon Valley take as a given. He reminds all of us who are in this business of why we are in it - for a love of technology, for the hard work, and for doing something new, original, and outside of the corporate world. Now that the air is out of the balloon, Dave’s message of hard work is more appropriate than ever. Building the next new horizontal social network is not enough to justify a 10X exit, nor should it have ever been. Too many people believed that Web 2.0 was just a land grab. But, by the time this became clear the first movers already had staked their claims. Now that the hot air has cleared, lets follow Dave’s advise and let necessity be the mother of invention.

So, to all those who are trying to spend the weekend recoiling from the unmitigated disaster that was Wall Street this week, listen to Tim and Dave, and do not be scared to work hard on business plans that actually turn into products and services that companies and individuals will want to pay for. If the offering is good, even in bad times you will find buyers. Perhaps that is where the tech community needs to go.

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WeAre.Us is (Almost) Like Ning, But With A Heart. Wins First VenCorps Prize. (Shyftr Comments)

Pocketed 2 days ago

Posted in TechCrunch (View Site) by Serkan Toto - 2 days ago

When you are suffering from a chronic disease, sometimes the only people who can understand what you are going through are other people with the same condition. But when that condition is rare, it can be difficult to find them. WeAre.Us wants to help. It is a platform of 16 social networks that connect people with chronic illnesses. And it just launched a revamped version (which mainly features an improved user interface). The site entered the crowded health 2.0 market last April, but stands out with its focused internal framework and commitment to supporting the patients who use it.

In contrast to health platforms like DailyStrength or Revolution Health, which serve as a contact point for health-related topics of any kind, WeAre.Us connects people affected by severe illnesses only. In that sense, it is more like PatientsLikeMe.  But rather than create an all-encompassing site, WeAre.Us decided to take more of a niche social network approach.

Given that these patients deserve special attention, the company decided to set up separate sites with individual domain names. The subsites, such as WeAreFibro.org (for users suffering from fibromyalgia, a chronic pain disorder) or WeAreCrohns.org (Crohn’s is a gastric disease), run on the same core engine but are independent from each other.

WeAre.Us tries to avoid Ning-like scattering effects by allowing users to create communities only if more more than 1,000 members can be expected. CMO Robert Patterson says another differentiator is the active, individualized support the company provides all WeAre.Us members.

The approach seems to work: While Ning has over 50 Crohn’s-based (mostly inactive) micro social networks, for example, WeAre.Us’ single Crohn’s community boasts over 2,000 members. One weakness is the lack of a cross network ID and profile system (such as that used by Ning).  But according to Patterson, demand for such a system is so far almost non-existent.

The site’s 16 social networks are being monetized by a full sponsorship model (one sponsor per site per month) and a lead generation system: WeAre.Us collects anonymized health data from its users and passes it on to pharma companies, which can cut costs on recruiting suitable patients for clinical trials.

WeAre.Us’ strategy of self-controlled sites, vertical focus, unique branding for each interest group, and human-powered user support is paying off so far: The user base, while still small, currently grows 35% month-over-month (expecting to pass the 10,000 member mark this month), with each member spending two hours on the site per visit.

WeAre.Us will also soon officially announce it took the first prize in the premiere VenCorps Community Driven Capital Contest ($50,000 in cash and accolades), which is backed by New York-based private equity firm Spencer Trask. (VenCorps, for those who follow these things, is what emerged from the now-defunct Cambrian House).

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Adobe demos Photoshop CS4's content-aware scaling (Shyftr Comments)

Pocketed 3 days ago

Posted in The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) (View Site) by Robert Palmer - 3 days ago

Filed under: Beta Beat, Graphic Design

In a QuickTime screencast, Adobe's Russell Brown demonstrates content-aware scaling, a feature of Photoshop CS4, due to be released this month.

A lower-resolution YouTube demo from Lynda.com is available here, if you don't want to download a huge QuickTime movie. The content is different, but you'll get the idea.

Adobe licensed an algorithm that senses "dead" areas in photos, and resizes the image to avoid squashing or stretching every object.

In the video, Brown demonstrates resizing an image of four golfers, interactively removing space between and around the golfers, but leaving the golfers' proportions correct. He also demonstrates resizing a Volkswagen bus, making it a more "economical" size, but automatically keeping the wheels round.

For those looking for a compelling reason to upgrade to Photoshop CS4, this might be it. If not, what is? Let us know by leaving a comment.

[Via Swissmiss and Michael Sippey.]

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Google to webmasters: Write clean HTML and consider accessibility (Shyftr Comments)

Pocketed 4 days ago

Posted in 456 Berea Street (View Site) by Roger Johansson - 5 days ago

I suspect that the recent release of Google Chrome, based on Webkit, has at least something to do with the Google Webmaster Central Blog post Workin' it on all browsers. In the post webmasters are encouraged to make sure their sites work regardless of what browser their visitors use, and Google is likely interested in websites working properly in their own browser.

The blog post points to an article in the Webmaster Help Center called Making sure your site appears properly in different browsers. That article contains four main tips:

• Test your site in as many browsers as possible
• Write good, clean HTML
• Specify your character encoding
• Consider accessibility

All good advice of course, though obviously there is a lot more to be said about good HTML and accessibility than what is brought up in the article. Nevertheless it's good to see this kind of information on Google where it may reach people who would not otherwise bother writing proper HTML and CSS or consider accessibility at all.

Posted in Accessibility, Web Standards.

Just What Does It Take To Present At The NY Tech Meetup? (Shyftr Comments)

Pocketed 4 days ago

Posted in Silicon Alley Insider (View Site) by Allen Stern - 4 days ago

Last night in NYC the NY Tech Meetup was held at the IAC headquarters in Manhattan. I've been covering the monthly event for nearly two years now and try to get every presentation on video for those of you who either couldn't make it or are located elsewhere. Over the past few months I've received several emails and chats wondering if I had any insight on how to actually get on the list of presenters for the meetups. I enjoy attending the meetup each month, meeting CN readers and helping to expose a bunch of NYC startups to the world. Meetup organizers Dawn and Scott do a good job in organization and event night management. Things move along on time better than most events I attend.

As I started to look back, one thing seemed to stick out. "Friends of Meetup" seemed to grab an abnormally large number of the presentation slots. It's not just one month, it's multiple months with multiple companies.

After Charles Forman presented for the 3rd time in a year, I asked event organizer Dawn Barber how Forman was selected to present again tonight as he didn't even post on the "I'd like to present list". Dawn said that "this was something new" and that "people want to see this". Not sure when that survey of "people" was completed but I wasn't provided a ballot form. I explained that I've heard from several people expressing their frustration with the way the presenters are selected. She said excuse me for a second and jumped on stage, whispered something to Meetup CEO Scott Heiferman and then sat back down. Immediately thereafter Scott said "I should probably note that I have a relationship with iminlikewithyou and the next company (familybuilder)". I wonder if he would have said anything had I not asked. Of course not. Well now my Columbo hat just got a bit higher on my head - what else might be going on here?

Let's take a look at the companies that presented and see if there are any potential conflicts:

• Adarky - I can't find any direct conflicts but the founder Steve Spurgat was able to present 2x in under a year - no post on the messageboard
• Change.org - Josh Levy is also editor of Personal Democracy Forum where Tech Meetup organizer Dawn Barber serves as Director of Marketing & Events - no post on the messageboard
• ImInLikeWithYou - founder Charles Forman has been able to present 3x in a year, always gets bonus time (my camera counts the time) and is able to present just a powerpoint (something no one else is able to do). Meetup founder Scott Heiferman is on the board of this company - no post on the messageboard
• FamilyBuilder - Meetup founder Scott Heiferman is on the board of this company - did post on the messageboard
• CollabFinder - I couldn't find any conflicts but this site didn't post on the main message board as directed - will need to investigate further
• RmbrMe - followed the proper protocol
• Aquahoops - the founder of this game, E.J. Mablekos, is an employee of ImInLikeWithYou (Dan Frommer notes that E.J. is a former employee)
• The Ladders - 3 presentations in the last year - I am guessing last night's was a paid slot for the company sponsoring drinks afterwards

Scott makes it clear each month that the NY Tech Meetup is separate from the company Meetup. I still don't get this frankly. Meetup is the only company to get a "free" table each month to pimp their goods. There's no transparency on the funds for the group - we will save this part of the discussion for another post.

So what happens when Dawn and Scott select companies that are either friends, associates or that they have a financial interest in? The simple answer is a lot. There are actually two different issues but they compound to cause an even larger overall issue.

First, many good NYC startups lose their chance for press and buzz. There are plenty of startups on the list, but those were passed over for "friends of meetup". Second, the "friends of meetup" walk away with the worldwide press. Check out the recap of last night's event on Alley Insider. The only company mentioned was ImInLikeWithYou. Out of the 8 companies, Eric picked this one to discuss. The two apparently non-conflicted startups got nothing, zip, nada. I am by no means calling out Alley Insider, it's just something I see across the board at many conferences where conflicts are evident.

I've setup a new rule on CenterNetworks. We will no longer post the videos of companies where there are apparent conflicts. I thought about this long and hard and if we did, we would be exacerbating the situation. I'd rather spend the time on the companies that actually need the media attention.

The bottom line is simple - if we want NYC to kick ass in the world's tech community, we have to stop favoring a few "friends" and let everyone get time on stage. While I agree that many of the apps that request to present aren't actually in the right stage to present, there are plenty of others who deserve their time on stage. Let's hope that corrective action will be taken swiftly and there will be no more conflicts. For my other suggestions on how to improve the meetup, check out my 5 things post from last year.

Lastly, I totally understand that it's very difficult to stand up and voice your opinion even though ya'all will share it with me in private. Don't worry - I will keep fighting for transparency and will post a "connected list" each month until we see some positive change - call me Maverick Allen.

Feel free to place your bets on which "friends of Meetup" will present next month :) I have a couple ideas on who will get a nod.

Allen Stern is the founder and editor of CenterNetworks, where this post was originally published.

A Recession's Impact: Lower Expectations Across the Board (Shyftr Comments)

Pocketed 6 days ago

Posted in louisgray.com (View Site) by louisgray@gmail.com (louisgray) - 6 days ago

The stock market is a disaster.

Banks are going under, and massive financial institutions are being bailed out. Companies are announcing hiring freezes and layoffs. And just about everybody has less money now than they did last month, or the one before that. While many of these perceived losses are quantifiable (on paper), more widespread are the losses that cannot be quantified, as people and companies cast off their optimism, and exchange it with a dark reality.

Those of us who made it through the last recession have seen this play out before, and others, a few times as bust follows boom, and back again. This time, the bust just might be deeper, and its impact further felt. I made a handy chart to see how people here in the Silicon Valley might be adjusting their expectations - from personal goals to family, possessions and career. In every aspect, I think it's safe to say that many are choosing door number three.


How a market changes one's goals - in chart form...
(Feel free to reuse the image on your blog)
With all the bad news out there, have you already made some of these choices? I'll likely be keeping my 1998 Mercury Tracer going just a bit longer, and despite the twins, I don't see us moving out any time soon, as demand for housing has cratered. Stocks I held just last week are worth 80 cents on the dollar today, and it could be time to buckle down unless things turn around soon.

iPhone 3G now the second best-selling US mobile handset (Shyftr Comments)

Pocketed 6 days ago

Posted in AppleInsider (View Site) - 6 days ago

In a little over a year, Apple's iPhone has grown to become the second best-selling mobile handset in the United States, according to NPD.

Rumor: Apple to laser-cut MacBook Pro cases from aluminum bricks (Shyftr Comments)

Pocketed 7 days ago

Posted in Boing Boing Gadgets (View Site) by Rob Beschizza - A week ago

Thinner. Screwless. Perfect heat-dissipation. Free from the design compromises imposed by traditional machining processes. 9-5 Mac reports that Apple's forthcoming "Brick," hitherto a conceptual blank canvas on which to project any fantasy, is in fact a new aluminum-cutting process:

The MacBook manufacturing process up to this point has been outsourced to Chinese or Taiwanese manufacturers like Foxconn. Now Apple is in charge. The company has spent the last few years building an entirely new manufacturing process that uses lasers (w/o sharks) and jets of water to carve the MacBooks out of a brick of aluminum.

It's anonymously-sourced, but has a the mundanity of truth about it, eh? Apple: able to make anything sexy, even industrial milling!

The 'Brick' is... [9-5]

AP: The Modern Newsroom Looks Like a Little RSS Reader (Shyftr Comments)

Pocketed 10/02/2008

Posted in ReadWriteWeb (View Site) by Marshall Kirkpatrick - 09/29/2008

The 20th century news and stock ticker used to be one of the most archetypal images of newsrooms all around the world. It was timely and exciting, if a bit impersonal, for editors to watch the wires for breaking news from the big news syndicates and select stories to run in the local paper. That ticker doesn't print everything out any more and a constant stream of news is something that millions of consumers now see for themselves inside their RSS feed readers.

How are newspapers adapting to digital syndication? Today the Associated Press announced that more than 500 newspapers are using their service called the AP Member Marketplace. To web savvy consumers, the Marketplace might look like an RSS reader that publishes selected stories to a webpage built out of Del.icio.us badges. It's a pretty interesting program.

The Interface

The AP Marketplace interface looks like a sophisticated, multi-media RSS reader but with limited sources. Publishers set up a workflow that lets editors send selected media items directly from the reader out onto the paper's website.

Below, the AP newsreader, click to view full screen image.

It's very reminiscent of of the CMS built by the Crowd Fusion team, which we profiled last week. There's one huge difference though between the AP's project and things like the Crowd Fusion project, the red-hot world of cool-hunting aggregation and even the new publishing strategy of web giants like Yahoo and AOL. The AP service finds and publishes AP stories, not content from around the whole web.

There was a time when it must have been hard to imagine getting more news to choose from than what the wires brought publishers each day. That time has passed and while the small Midwestern US newspapers that the AP highlights as happy users of the Marketplace may be on board - it's hard to say how for how long readers will remain excited about AP fueled news websites. Especially once they discover a little more about how the internet works.

The online research tools used by financial professionals, for example, could probably slap this service both ways to Sunday before it knew which way was up. The AP says, though, that many local papers find their readers overjoyed with the breadth of topical AP content published to content sections or niche websites.

Left: The North West Arkansas biker scene had nothing like this news site before the AP Exchange came to town, the AP says. This kind of site does look like a good idea for everyone.

Training Component

One very interesting part of the AP Marketplace is that it's very search-centric and the wire service offers weekly 30 minute-long classes in online search skills. The AP Exchange School of Search is a great idea.

Not all parts of the program are working well, admittedly. The Exchange "blog" and community on Ning are dead, for example. Perhaps early participants learned enough to escape out into the web at large.

News Publishing Around the Web

A year ago media analyst Jeff Jarvis wrote an excellent post about what Editor 2.0 jobs are shaping up to look like. Two years ago we wrote here about some of the exciting things that AP competitor Reuters is doing. [Disclosure, the Reuters semantic web project Calais is now an RWW sponsor.] The media business blog PaidContent says that the AP Marketplace/Exchange service is pitted against new aggregation services explicitely aimed at replacing the AP, like Politico.

It's a time of deep change in the news media world and though we love the feel of a good local paper and its website - their ongoing success cannot be taken for granted. Tools like the AP Exchange look like a great step to take, though, and we enjoy getting to see what the RSS reader equivalent is inside hundreds of local newsrooms.

Discuss